Free High Seduction by Vivian Arend

make.”
    He left her, seating himself on the couch and pulling out his cell phone. Erin watched him for a moment, then took him at his word.
    Earth-toned tiles underfoot gave way to deep brown wood planks in the first room off the hall. The neatly arranged office was followed by a guest bedroom. Sparse but tidy, it looked comfortable and completely generic, like most rental places. Nothing there to make it into a home.
    The next room, however . . .
    Erin stood in the doorway of the master bedroom and debated the wisdom of going in. The four-poster bed with its sturdy log pillars at the corners was visible from where she stood, and that sight alone was enough to set her heart pounding. A thick quilt in a deep crimson lay on its surface, pillows at the head of the mattress.
    Curiosity overtook her, and even though it was wrong, she did it anyway—crossed the room to stand beside the massive king-sized mattress. She trickled her fingers over the soft quilt, the material cool to the touch—the kind of fabric that would heat perfectly against naked skin.
    She wrapped a hand around the nearest post, her fingers unable to meet around the thick support. Her breathing picked up as she squatted, ran a hand down the wood, and grasped the edge of the quilt. She lifted it out of the way to reveal large metal circles discreetly attached to the lower part of the corner posts, barely visible under the edge of the hanging quilt.
    Her rapid heart rate skipped a beat. This room was definitely more set up for Tim’s tastes than the guest room.
    She ignored the warning signals going off in her brain and chose to walk to the window. Here on the opposite side of the house she’d expected to see the back alley below, or the windows of the opposite apartment house. Instead she discovered a small courtyard, glowing lights in strategic positions to showcase a snow-clad bench and statuary.
    Erin moved to the left, away from the bed and into the bathroom, still fascinated by the mysterious parklike area outside on the rooftop. In the summer it probably held flowerbeds, or a fountain. Now in the dead of winter the snow created sculptures of its own by decorating the small fir trees and railings with pillow tops of white. The surfaces transformed into fairy-tale-like structures topped by mushroom-shaped caps.
    In the distance, Tim continued to talk—a low buzz that eased her fears of being watched as she explored. She turned to stare into decadence. Soaker tub, double-sized shower. A sink counter long enough to sleep on. More mirrors than was decent—anyone tempted to have sex in the enormous shower would end up reflected multiple times.
    Erin escaped the room before her mind provided images of Tim’s fairer skin contrasting with her own darker tones, both of them slick and wet and . . .
    There was a smaller laundry room and storage space to finish the tour, distracting enough to pull herself from the X-rated thoughts she’d begun to follow. A more serious question struck her.
    How could he afford the suite on a paramedic’s salary?
    Erin returned to the living room just as Tim placed his phone on the coffee table and rose to his feet. The sun had dipped behind the mountain while she’d been gone, and sunset light transformed the place into a mess of red, orange, and gold.
    â€œYou like it?” he asked, moving to her side.
    â€œIncredible. It’s very comfortable.”
    Tim dipped his head. “You’re welcome any time.”
    The urge to accept his offer right here and now was far too tempting, which was why she had to take a different route. She avoided his eyes, just in case he managed to sidetrack her. “Thanks. I should go.”
    The expectation remained—he would ask her to join him for supper, or for another drink, or something. After pushing so hard to start things up between them, there was no way he’d simply allow her to walk away.
    Only he nodded and